GMADA Land Pooling in Plain Words: What Landowners Get and What LOI Buyers Should Check
Property1313 Team · October 12, 2026 · 9 min read
Quick answer: GMADA land pooling lets a landowner whose land is acquired take developed plots in the same project instead of only cash. GMADA's website lists 1,000 sq. yards of residential and 200 sq. yards of commercial land per acre under its 2025 policy, but Punjab withdrew that policy on 11 August 2025. Acquisitions now run under the 2013 Act, and land pooling continues as an option inside them, such as in Eco City-3 (February 2026). Buyers of a pooling LOI should check its project, size, status and transfer permission with GMADA before paying.
Land pooling is the one part of GMADA's work that touches both farmers and city buyers. For a landowner, it decides whether you walk away with cash or with plots in the township that comes up on your land. For a buyer, it explains why "LOIs" for plots in Aerocity, Aerotropolis or Eco City are offered on the resale market long before those plots exist on the ground. This guide sets out what the official documents say, in plain words, as of 30 October 2026, and what a buyer should check.
What GMADA land pooling means
In a normal acquisition, the government takes land for a public project and pays the owner compensation in money. Under land pooling, the owner can choose to take part of the compensation as developed land: residential plots, and sometimes commercial plots, in the township built on the acquired land. The owner first gets a letter of intent (LOI). The actual plot is identified later, often by a draw among LOI holders, once the land is developed.
GMADA has used this route for years in its own townships. In Aerotropolis, for example, The Tribune reported on 9 September 2021 that GMADA had acquired about 1,650 acres for pockets A, B, C and D, that owners of about 1,460 of those acres had opted for land pooling, and that LOIs were being issued to them online.
What landowners get per acre
GMADA's land pooling page, which we read on 30 October 2026, describes the Land Pooling Policy 2025, notified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development on 4 June 2025 and amended on 25 July 2025. Its entitlement table reads:
| Land acquired | Residential (sq. yd) | Commercial (sq. yd) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 acre (8 kanal) | 1,000 | 200 |
| 0.75 acre (6 kanal) | 750 | 150 |
| 0.5 acre (4 kanal) | 500 | 100 |
| 0.25 acre (2 kanal) | 250 | 50 |
| 0.125 acre (1 kanal) | 125 | 25 |
The same page lists the plot combinations for each holding, an option to take only residential plots, with three times the residential area in place of the commercial share, and a subsistence allowance of ₹50,000 per acre a year until possession is taken, then ₹1,00,000 per acre a year, rising 10% a year, until the developed land is offered.
Important: That page should be read with what happened next. The Punjab government withdrew the Land Pooling Policy 2025 and all its amendments on 11 August 2025, after farmer protests and a Punjab and Haryana High Court stay. The Tribune reported the formal notification as dated 14 August 2025, and on 19 September 2025 that land in Mohali would be acquired under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for Eco City-3, 300 acres of low-density housing in Mullanpur and 3,400 acres of the Aerotropolis extension. GMADA's page still showed the 2025 policy when we checked it, so do not treat that table as the current offer for a new project without confirming it in writing.
How land pooling works now: inside a 2013 Act acquisition
Withdrawal of the 2025 policy did not end land pooling as an option. In current GMADA projects, the land is acquired under the 2013 Act, and owners whose land has been acquired are invited to opt for pooling.
The clearest example is Eco City-3 in New Chandigarh. A public notice by the Land Acquisition Collector, Department of Housing and Urban Development, signed on 6 February 2026 and posted on GMADA's website, told owners whose land was acquired for Eco City-3 that the process for opting for land pooling was active. It set out two menus by holding size:
| Holding | Only residential (sq. yd plots) | Residential + commercial |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kanal | one 200 | one 200 |
| 2 kanal | one 400 | one 400 |
| 4 kanal | two 400 | one 500 + one 100 commercial |
| 6 kanal | two 500 + one 200 | one 500 + one 400 + one 100 commercial |
| 8 kanal | two 500 + one 400 + one 200 | two 500 + two 100 commercial |
Source: Eco City-3 land pooling notice, February 2026. The notice gave owners who had already applied 15 days to revise their choice, after which entitlements would be issued as per the table.
So the size menu is project-specific. What you get in one scheme is not a promise for the next.
The stages a landowner goes through
Under the 2013 Act the broad order is: a social impact assessment, a preliminary notification (Section 11), objections and hearings (Section 15), a declaration, the award of compensation, and possession. Public hearings on rehabilitation and resettlement are held under Section 16(5). You can read the Act on India Code.
GMADA's notices in October 2026 show these stages in progress. For the Aerotropolis extension, Section 11 notifications were issued on 17, 19 and 21 August 2026 for villages including Kurda, Khizargarh, Banur and Manakpur Kallar, and objections were heard on 28 and 29 October 2026 at PUDA Bhawan. For Eco City-4, a Section 16(5) public hearing was fixed for 12 November 2026 in village Kartarpur. Our Aerotropolis guide and Eco City guide give the details.
Tip for landowners: keep your revenue record (jamabandi), mutation and any court papers ready before you fill the pooling form, and submit it to the Land Acquisition Collector's office yourself. Take a receipt.
What buyers should check before buying a land pooling LOI
A pooling LOI is a right to a plot that has not been carved out yet. It can be legitimate, but it is not the same as a plot. Before you pay anyone, check:
- Which project and which acquisition. Get the LOI number and confirm the project, pocket and entitlement with GMADA. A plot "in Aerotropolis" could mean an LOI in pockets A to D, or land still being acquired for later pockets.
- The size and type. Residential or commercial, and the exact square yards. Commercial entitlements are often small sites allotted by a separate draw.
- Whether the plot has been allotted. Has a draw been held and a plot number given? GMADA published a draw result dated 14 August 2025 for commercial SCO and bay-shop sites for land pooling LOI holders in Aerocity, so these draws do happen; check if yours is included.
- Who the holder is. The name on the LOI must match the seller's ID, and every co-owner must sign.
- Transfer permission. GMADA has a formal permission-to-transfer process. A sale on a simple agreement or power of attorney, without that permission, leaves you exposed. Our GMADA transfer checklist explains the documents.
- Dues and court cases. Ask for GMADA's account statement for the LOI, and ask a lawyer to check for litigation on the land or the holder.
What to check: Ask GMADA, in writing, whether the LOI is transferable at its current stage and what the fee is. If the seller says "it is all online, no need", that is the moment to slow down.
Unsure about an LOI someone has offered you? Send us the LOI number and the pocket. Call or WhatsApp Property1313 on 89100 01313, or use our contact page, and we will tell you what the official records show and what is still missing.
Land pooling vs buying an allotted plot
| Pooling LOI | Allotted GMADA plot | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | A right to a future plot | A specific plot with a number |
| Location known? | Often not, until the draw | Yes |
| Can you build? | Not until allotment and possession | After plan approval |
| Main risk | Delay, litigation, transfer rules | Dues, building deadlines |
| Paper trail | LOI, transfer permission | Allotment letter, NDC, conveyance deed |
Neither is "better". An LOI suits a buyer who understands the project stage and can wait. An allotted plot suits a buyer who wants to build soon.
Where pooling plots come up near our listings
Pooling townships sit next to areas where you can already buy registered homes. In Aerocity and Eco City-2, for example, we list these RERA-registered projects:
The Marq by Atlantis · B-Block, Aerocity, Airport Road, Mohali
GB Realty Opus One · Eco-City 2, New Chandigarh · ₹3.63 Cr onwards
You can see the blocks of Aerocity on our Aerocity map layout page, and browse plots in Mohali and plots in New Chandigarh.
Questions we could not settle from official sources
As of 30 October 2026, we could not find on GMADA's website a single current land pooling policy document that replaces the withdrawn 2025 policy. The project notices, like the Eco City-3 notice, set the options for each project. We have left out compensation figures per acre reported in the press, because they differ between reports and between villages.
Talk to someone who reads the notices
Whether you are a landowner choosing between cash and plots or a buyer looking at an LOI, the details decide everything. Call or WhatsApp Property1313 on 89100 01313, or write to us through the contact page. We will walk you through what the notices say for your village or pocket.
This guide is general information based on GMADA notices and dated press reports, not legal or tax advice; check with a CA or property lawyer before you sign or pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GMADA land pooling?
- It lets a landowner whose land is acquired for a GMADA project take developed residential, and sometimes commercial, plots in that project instead of only cash compensation. The owner first gets a letter of intent, and the actual plot is identified later, often by a draw.
- How much land does a landowner get per acre under GMADA land pooling?
- GMADA's land pooling page lists 1,000 sq. yards of residential and 200 sq. yards of commercial land per acre under the 2025 policy. That policy was withdrawn on 11 August 2025, so current projects set their own options; Eco City-3's notice of February 2026 lists plots of 200, 400 and 500 sq. yards and 100 sq. yard commercial plots by holding size.
- Was the Punjab Land Pooling Policy 2025 withdrawn?
- Yes. The Punjab government withdrew the policy and its amendments on 11 August 2025 after farmer protests and a High Court stay, and The Tribune reported on 19 September 2025 that Mohali acquisitions would run under the 2013 Act.
- Is it safe to buy a land pooling LOI?
- It can be, but an LOI is a right to a future plot, not a plot. Confirm the project, pocket, size, holder and dues with GMADA, check whether a plot has been allotted, and get GMADA's permission to transfer rather than relying on an agreement or power of attorney.
- Do landowners get any allowance until plots are handed over?
- GMADA's page for the 2025 policy lists ₹50,000 per acre a year until possession is taken, then ₹1,00,000 per acre a year rising 10% a year until developed land is offered. Confirm what applies to your project, since that policy was later withdrawn.
- Where is land pooling active in 2026?
- GMADA's Land Acquisition Collector told Eco City-3 landowners in a notice signed on 6 February 2026 that land pooling options were open. Aerotropolis pockets A to D were also largely pooled, with LOIs issued from September 2021.